Lawyer Charles Carreon had a rough 2012. After tangling with webcomic The Oatmeal last summer, Carreon found himself widely criticized online by people "wishing me an ill fate, including that my career would collapse, that I would be raped to death by a bear, and other unpleasantness," as he recently told a federal judge.

The insults—some of which Carreon posted to one of his websites—caused Carreon to flip his lid and sue Matt Inman, creator of The Oatmeal, for some violation of "professional fundraising" rules. Carreon then tried to drag everyone from the American Cancer Society to Indiegogo to the National Wildlife Federation to 100 unnamed "Does" into the case. Carreon separately threatened an anonymous critic known as Satirical Charles, warning that "I have the known capacity to litigate for years" and saying that a lawsuit might seek "the maximum cybersquatting penalty of $100,000." He then said he would sue Register.com unless it revealed the name behind the Satirical Charles account (one Christopher Recouvreur), then sent a long letter (PDF) to Recouvreur's employer demanding that it preserve everything from the Internet history of Recouvreur's work computer to telephone records and text messages that he might have sent using company equipment. Carreon even threatened to subpoena Ars Technica and Twitter to expose other critics.

Charles Carreon's plan to sue Satirical Charles, as conveyed in a letter to attorney Paul Levy.

The freakout was something to behold, coming as it did from a man who had been on the "free speech" side of previous free speech cases. Carreon spent the next few months trying to back out of the whole Pandora's box he had opened. He soon dismissed the entire case against Inman, but his pointed threats to Recouvreur's lawyer led Recouvreur to file suit of his own against Carreon, seeking a declaratory judgment that Recouvreur's website was legal.

Carreon was also quite interested in not being a part of this litigation, which took place far from his Arizona home (a tactic he threatened to purposely use against Recouvreur). So he went out of his way to avoid receiving legal papers in the case, returning them through the mail, unopened. When a process server was eventually sent to Carreon's house, "the server announced himself and was told 'No, thank you,' and left with the papers," wrote the judge overseeing the whole ridiculous matter. "On the second and third visits, nobody answered. The process service company then tried to serve the summons and complaint by certified mail, but the package was never claimed." Finally, an opposing lawyer found Carreon in the hallway after a court appearance in an unrelated case and served him.

In a recent court filing, Carreon finally comes up with an explanation for this behavior. Turns out the Internet had been so mean to him that he simply couldn't trust himself not to say something intemperate in court.

As explained by defendant in his declaration, he did not waive service in large part because he had been so vilified on the Internet that he genuinely doubted his ability to maintain a professional demeanor in Court filings and in person. Quite far from intending disrespect for the Court by his silence, he tenders his sincere apology for the inconvenience to the Court occasioned by his inaction....

I knew that everything I filed with the Court would be dissected by unsympathetic critics, and I questioned whether I would be able to “keep my cool” and respond in a professional manner in Court papers...

The Court will not be able to understand the intense psychological pain engendered by such a brutal onslaught from a public that really knows nothing about me... I am a hardy soul, thank heavens, and did not give in to the destructive self-hatred that has caused many victims of cyberbullying to injure themselves and others, but I will say this—I felt their pain deeply, and I will never inveigh against anyone in the public forum by deriding their character as others have mine.

The ironies of the case are remarkable. Carreon, for instance, has repeatedly inveighed against people's character in public forums. More brazen, though, is his new claim in court documents that "I not only had no desire to litigate this case, I found it hard to believe it was really happening" even as he sent out so many legal letters directly related to Recouvreur. And the "cyberbullying" charge is a little hollow after all the lawyering and litigation that Carreon had unleashed against others.

Still, one can see in the whole sorry story just how disturbing and isolating concerted online criticism from hundreds or thousands or people can be; both Carreon and his wife have complained publicly about the pile-on.

Nothing—or $40,115

The real problem now is the Recouvreur case may end up costing Carreon money. In late December, Carreon backed down completely and agreed to settle the case with a complete admission that Recouvreur was within his rights. But there is still the small matter of attorney's fees. Carreon says they should be zero—or, if some amount has to be paid, $750. Recouvreur's lead lawyer, Paul Levy of Public Citizen, on December 31 asked the court for something a little larger—$40,115—in part because of the extra time and effort it had taken to actually serve Carreon with the court papers.

A sample of Levy's billing hours spent on the case against Carreon.

Levy has no patience for Carreon's complaints that he has been harassed by the Internet, telling the court that "it is understandable that his [Carreon's] own conduct provoked some public criticism... As an officer of the Court, Mr. Carreon should have known better when he began his course of abusive conduct."

The wrangling over fees continues, but the material issues raised by Carreon this summer have all been laid to rest—none of them in Carreon's favor.

Funny as Carreon's behavior is, I find it somewhat interesting that in the end, the fight continues because the other lawyer wants his money. Those lawyers!

"The other lawyer" is employed by a non-profit free-speech advocacy organization, Public Citizen. He's getting paid his salary regardless. The point of actually claiming the fees for time spent is to make frivolous and abusive activities like this demonstrably costly, so that others are dissuaded from doing the same in the future.

Carreon is a bully, and has a lengthy track record of being a bully. He only believes in free speech when it protects him harassing others. Yet he doesn't seem to think others are entitled to their opinions or speech.

The worst part is that Carreon knew he was in the wrong, because he knows the law. He just assumed he could bully people into backing down.

If a lawyer can't trust himself not to say something crazy in court, then perhaps he shouldn't be a lawyer.

Funny as Carreon's behavior is, I find it somewhat interesting that in the end, the fight continues because the other lawyer wants his money. Those lawyers!

If Levy had asked for money because "Carreon should be punished for his the abuse of his status as officer of the court", it would be considered social engineering and tossed out. Only corporations are permitted to tie up the courts with their social engineering projects, i.e. RIAA, MPAAoJ.

In this case it seems to be true. This guy is just a giant assclown and a bully. He tried to bully someone, not realizing that person could get the attention of people with a lot more firepower. Like all bullies, he then tried to sneak off.

Every bit of legal trouble that has befallen Carreon has been earned 5 times over. The level of harassment he has levied upon others warrants a far stronger legal backlash. Frankly, I'd like to see him taken before the state bar.

I'm honestly not sure why Carreon hasn't been disbarred by whichever state(s) in which he holds a license to practice.

His behavior is shameful and abusive, and not only should he be punished monetarily for wasting everyone's time of bullshit lawsuits, he should no longer be allowed to practice law. Especially if big mean internet people are all it takes for him to dodge a court summons for months, out of fear that he might "lose his cool."

Hey!Where are the links to what his wife says? (I'm sure she MUST have something to say)While Charlie is fun to watch, he is motivated by greed.Tara on the other hand is... batshit insane and absolutely fun to read and peek into the mind of a batshit insane person

Noooooo. The Internet's outrage needs to be *focused* to be effective. Carreon is old news. Defeat was inevitable. Don't muddy the waters with this joker when Melissa Vanessah Melton is still out there taking correspondence from anyone who might have a printer/scanner/copier that can email!

The Ars Ion Cannon should be squarely focused on Melissa Vanessah Melton (512-582-2835) - the lawyer/ patent correspondent for "MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC." Ok, Ok - there is no ion cannon. There are lot of people with copiers/scanners/printers that can email all of whom have a very legitimate reason to get in contact with this lawyer PERSONALLY. Millions of people should be calling this phone number concerned about their personal legal liability. Call now! You have a legitimate concern. You. Call. Now. Ask if you can buy an individual license for your printer. Call back later and ask if you should stop using it. Call again because you're still worried because the issue hasn't been resolved.

The fear about 'saying something crazy' in court is what kept him deaking the writ server?!

More like:

- fear of looking like [even more of] a complete idiot- fear of his demonstrably insane wife- fear of financial hardship - fear of professional ridicule- fear of disbarment

This fellow has done such a grand job of self destruction I have actually gone from revilement to pity. Charles, in the spirit of the season, perhaps a Ebeneezer Scrooge transformation is your best hope.

Noooooo. The Internet's outrage needs to be *focused* to be effective. Carreon is old news. Defeat was inevitable. Don't muddy the waters with this joker when Melissa Vanessah Melton is still out there taking correspondence from anyone who might have a printer/scanner/copier that can email!

The Ars Ion Cannon should be squarely focused on Melissa Vanessah Melton (512-582-2835) - the lawyer/ patent correspondent for "MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC." Ok, Ok - there is no ion cannon. There are lot of people with copiers/scanners/printers that can email all of whom have a very legitimate reason to get in contact with this lawyer PERSONALLY. Millions of people should be calling this phone number concerned about their personal legal liability. Call now! You have a legitimate concern. You. Call. Now. Ask if you can buy an individual license for your printer. Call back later and ask if you should stop using it. Call again because you're still worried because the issue hasn't been resolved.

Called from Sweden as... you know... we at MAFIAAFire are so scared about US laws nobody picks up, phone just rings, you sure thats the correct number?

But you can also call the receptionist: 512-582-2828Or you might fax in your concern: 512-582-2829

I believe she's gone for the day. But I'd keep leaving messages. You have a legitimate concern. I certainly do. I have a multi-function network enabled printer - and (I hate to say this)... I've used it.

I must owe someone $900. I need to figure out how to pay whoever owns the patent..

As much as I side with everyone against Carreon, I feel he has a small point about the reaction to him. For every crazy thing he and his wife said or posted, people on the Internet posted volumes of material just as crazy in response. Not everyone descended into straight-out abusive behaviour - probably only a tiny minority did - but he's right that he was attacked viciously.Inman showed the right sort of behaviour, as did Satirical Charles. A lot of the other stuff people posted on forums like Ars was just over the top though.The right thing to do was to laugh about him and then ignore him. That's how to treat trolls.

I think lawyers need to be held to a strict code of conduct, when a cop abuses his badge there is a penalty (and a legal one at that see Color of Law Abuses at the FBI website).

I think lawyers who threaten to sue (rather than suing outright) to try and force a payment out of an individual should be subject to thorough review and if found guilty should be disbarred, fined and forced to pay the individual they attempted to extort, the amount they sought to steal.

It would put many of these copyright troll cases to pasture and encourage realistic payout demands when there might be something there.

As much as I side with everyone against Carreon, I feel he has a small point about the reaction to him. For every crazy thing he and his wife said or posted, people on the Internet posted volumes of material just as crazy in response. Not everyone descended into straight-out abusive behaviour - probably only a tiny minority did - but he's right that he was attacked viciously.

If you act like an asshole to a bear, he's going to tear off your head and shit down your throat.

You know that going in. It's not the bear's fault, he's a bear. That's what he does.

You don't want a bear to rip off your head and shit down your throat? Don't act like an asshole to one

As much as I side with everyone against Carreon, I feel he has a small point about the reaction to him. For every crazy thing he and his wife said or posted, people on the Internet posted volumes of material just as crazy in response. Not everyone descended into straight-out abusive behaviour - probably only a tiny minority did - but he's right that he was attacked viciously.Inman showed the right sort of behaviour, as did Satirical Charles. A lot of the other stuff people posted on forums like Ars was just over the top though.The right thing to do was to laugh about him and then ignore him. That's how to treat trolls.

As Brodie has indicated, he earned it. Two wrongs don't make a right, certainly, but if the second wrong is a direct result of the first wrong, well then.